Diocese

One year ago, on March 11, the Tohoku region of Japan was shaken by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake. Twenty minutes later, a tsunami rolled onto the shores of eastern Japan sweeping 15,000 people to their deaths. The tidal wave unleashed a series of mishaps leading to the near-meltdown of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. The aftershocks, both literally and figuratively, are still felt a year later.

The Diocese of New York, in collaboration with the Metropolitan Japanese Ministry, is raising funds and awareness to assist our brothers and sisters in Japan, especially in the critically-affected Diocese of Tohoku. In particular, we are seeking to assist with the rebuilding of the Sei Ai Kindergarten, connected with All Saint's Church (founded by an American Missionary in 1902), in the city of Aizu-Wakamatsu in Fukushima, Japan.

I invite you to join our sisters and brothers in the Metropolitan Japanese Ministry in prayer at a service of remembrance to be held on the first anniversary of the disaster, Sunday, March 11, at St. James the Less, 10 Church Lane, Scarsdale. Following the service there will be an opportunity to learn more about the rebuilding effort through a short video and a presentation by Mieko Nishimaki, a resident of Fukushima and presently a delegate to the United Nations Conference on the Status of Women.

I also invite you to make a donation to aid the people of Japan as we endeavor to assist with the rebuilding of the kindergarten in the Diocese of Tohoku. Checks should be made payable to "Episcopal Diocese of New York" with the notation "Japan Disaster Relief Fund" in the memo line. Please send donations to The Episcopal Diocese of New York, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10025, Attn: Controller. You may also make a donation online: Go tohttp://www.episcopaldioceseny.org/payment_form and type "Japan Disaster Relief Fund" in the "Description: Purpose of Payment" field. For further questions or information please contact the Metropolitan Japanese Ministry office at 914-723-6118 or mjm.ny@mindspring.com. Visit the MJM webpage at www.mjmny.org .